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Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Nov 6, 2024

One startup figured out how to make the sun shine AT NIGHT.

They're putting mirrors in space to direct sunlight toward the Earth at nighttime 😂

Here's a video of it, plus a thread on why the science is so interesting:

For context, sunlight hitting Earth in 1 hour can power human civilization for a year.

Meanwhile, solar panels are only useful for ~30% of the day.

In steps a startup putting mirrors into orbit to redirect sunlight onto solar farms at night.

This wasn't doable before now. Why?

What makes this newly feasible is that Falcon 9 lowered the cost of getting to orbit by 10x. Then with Starship, there's a further 5x cost reduction.

That's 50x less to put stuff into space in just 5 years.

And the kicker: SpaceX has a rideshare program for small satellites.

Read 21 tweets

Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Nov 4, 2024

It's done! I read 3,000 startup pitch decks.

I wanted to find what the incredible pitches had in common.

Was there a "secret ingredient" unifying them?

YES. The 4 best (that VCs wanted intros to) had the same talking point:

First, here's why most decks were *not* interesting:

Founders believed that explaining how they're better than the competition is what makes them compelling to VCs.

Maybe, but in many markets, it's not hard to suggest a solution better than status quo.

What's more interesting:

...is what approach you use to *acquire customers at scale.*

Meaning, what's your *distribution* insight?

Not just your product insight.

Because if you build something good, often they will not simply come.

Read 35 tweets

Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Oct 8, 2024

You can't imagine how effective China's weather modification program is.

They now control their weather.

My little investigation into how they do it across 50% of their land:

See the graphic below.

In short, by interacting with clouds, China has increased rainfall by 27% in their Northeast.

The extra rain grows *11.6 million* more tons of grain.

That feeds 40 million people. That's the entire population of California.

Here's how they're doing it:

They do two things at once:

1. Inject liquids into clouds while...
2. Burning fuel on mountain peaks

How does this work?

And, if we did it ourselves, could we end wildfires, control floods, and eliminate droughts?

The answer might be yes.

Read 19 tweets

Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Feb 14, 2024

Ever notice this about crazy good writing?

There's actually an equation to it:

Great writing = Novelty x Resonance^2

• Novelty is what no one has seen before
• Resonance is *how much it grabs you*

Watch how Deadpool + The Boys exploit this. Here's how to tell great stories:

First, let's consider classics like Gladiator and Shawshank Redemption.

They tell clichéd stories as old as time. Gladiator fights and revenge arcs.

NOT a lot of novelty there.

However, they've resonated far more than other films for decades.

Why?

Because they resonate so deeply—by being *harrowing* and *cathartic.*

These resonant qualities overcome their (relative) lack of novelty.

Because, fundamentally, we really want to feel.

What is resonance exactly?

Read 13 tweets

Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Nov 8, 2023

I'm finally done. I automated my home with 30+ smart home gadgets.

Sensors are everywhere—all across the farm. I feel like a crazy person.

My most clever home automations so far:

First, another breakthrough on preventing bugs: In addition to solving mosquitos (see the last tweet on my profile), I've solved flies too.

Buy this product, trust me:

"RESCUE! Outdoor Disposable Hanging Fly Trap"

The most effective fly trap on Amazon.

It's a mix of natural smells that flies can't resist. They choose it over you even when you're cooking meat.

Once they're inside that bag, they're trapped.

Use 2 bags, each 30 feet away from you. Replace monthly. Hallelujah.

Read 22 tweets

Julian Shapiro

@Julian

Jun 20, 2023

i finally did it! i eliminated all mosquitos. haven't seen one in ages

the technique:

- fill buckets with water, dirt, grass
- place buckets in shade, spread 50ft apart
- put a "mosquito dunk" ($0.50 each) in each
- wait 6 weeks

that's it!

it works because...

mosquitos like to lay eggs in stale water. that's why you put dirt and grass in the buckets—to produce "old water" chemical reactions for them to sense. they like stale water because it's likely to remain, which means their eggs can hatch

now, you see that donut thing? well...

that mosquito "dunk" contains a harmless-to-humans bacteria that kills eggs once laid

as long as you have no other sources of stagnant water on your property (first address that), they have nowhere else to bread but in your buckets

mosquitos only live for a few weeks, SO...

Read 7 tweets

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